NYC Crime – New York Daily News https://www.nydailynews.com Breaking US news, local New York news coverage, sports, entertainment news, celebrity gossip, autos, videos and photos at nydailynews.com Thu, 07 Mar 2024 03:16:44 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cropped-DailyNewsCamera-7.webp?w=32 NYC Crime – New York Daily News https://www.nydailynews.com 32 32 208786248 Bronx MTA subway conductor smashed in head with glass bottle https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/06/bronx-mta-subway-conductor-smashed-in-head-with-glass-bottle/ Thu, 07 Mar 2024 02:59:27 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7565809 An MTA subway conductor was hit over the head with a glass bottle in the Bronx on Wednesday, days after a colleague was also attacked on the job.

The 38-year-old conductor was in her cab on the Manhattan-bound No. 4 train at the 167th St. station in Concourse when a man approached her around 11:50 a.m. and smashed her in the head with the bottle, police said.

The attacker took off, and the injured woman continued on with her job for two stops, until she spotted officers at the 149th St.-Grand Concourse station.

The conductor asked the cops for help, and they called her an ambulance. Medics took her to Lincoln Hospital in stable condition.

There were no arrests as police worked to track down the man who struck her.

The attack came just days after conductor Alton Scott, 59, was slashed at the Rockaway Ave. station in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, on Thursday, according to police.

Scott was cut when he poked his head out of the conductor’s cab of the Far Rockaway-bound A train at around 3:30 a.m., cops said.

A doctor on the train applied pressure on the wound until medics arrived and rushed the injured man to Brookdale University Hospital, where he needed 34 stitches and nine sutures to close up the deep cut.

Police are still looking for that slasher.

Concerns about subway crime prompted Gov. Hochul on Wednesday to announce 750 members of the National Guard and 250 state and MTA police officers are heading to subway stations to inspect passengers’ bags.

]]>
7565809 2024-03-06T21:59:27+00:00 2024-03-06T22:03:35+00:00
Suspect nabbed in fatal shooting of Brooklyn bodega worker over $2 cigarillo https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/06/suspect-nabbed-in-fatal-shooting-of-brooklyn-bodega-worker-over-2-cigarillo/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 23:38:13 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7564892 A suspect was arrested Wednesday for the fatal shooting of a Brooklyn bodega worker over a $2 cigarillo, cops said.

Daquan David, 29, is charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the Feb. 26 death of Nazim Berry.

Nazim Berry, 36, who was shot in the head and killed over a black-and-mild cigarette outside Amin Grocery and Deli at 801 Franklin Ave in Crown Heights on Feb. 26, 2024.
Victim Nazim Berry

David asked Berry for a free Black & Mild at the bodega on Franklin St. near Lincoln Place in Crown Heights but the employee said no, cops said.

David left and then returned with a gun, allegedly shooting Berry, 37, in the head.

Police investigate a fatal shooting on Franklin Avenue and Lincoln Place in Brooklyn, New York City on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)
Police investigate the fatal shooting on Franklin Ave. and Lincoln Place in Brooklyn on  Feb. 26. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)

Cops found Berry outside the Amin Deli about 4:15 p.m.. Medics rushed him to Kings County Hospital but he could not be saved.

David’s arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court was pending Wednesday afternoon.

Danette Hollie, center, mother of Nazim Berry, overcome with emotion during a press before the United Bodegas of America and Pro-Health donate $8,000 to the family of Nazim Berry, a bodega clerk who was murdered over a cigarette, to help cover funeral expenses, at Shorey Grocery Corporation, 801 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (Shawn Inglima for New York Daily News)
Danette Hollie, mother of Nazim Berry, is overcome with emotion during a press conference in front of the bodega on Feb. 28. (Shawn Inglima for New York Daily News)

 

]]>
7564892 2024-03-06T18:38:13+00:00 2024-03-06T19:30:10+00:00
NYC correction officer suspended after Rikers Island jail search finds contraband cache https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/06/nyc-correction-officer-suspended-after-rikers-island-jail-search-finds-contraband-cache/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 22:31:09 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7564219 A New York City correction officer was suspended after investigators discovered a stash of contraband hidden in a Rikers Island jail including a cell phone, phone chargers, a Wi-Fi hotspot adapter and a tool for breaking car windows, the Daily News has learned.

Officer Marc Johnson, a nine-year Correction Department veteran, was suspended Tuesday after a random search uncovered the cache of banned items concealed in a metal box in a hallway on the second floor of the North Infirmary Command, correction sources said.

The discovery was made in a section of the jail used for violent detainees and those with high-profile cases.

The box also contained three watches, a set of headphones with a microphone, a speaker, a clock and an airplane bottle of Jack Daniels honey liqueur, correction sources said. A second airplane bottle of honey whisky was allegedly found in Johnson’s vehicle.

Correction Department spokeswoman Shayla Mulzac confirmed Wednesday that Johnson was suspended for 30 days without pay for possession of contraband. An investigation is ongoing.

“Any staff who brings contraband into our jails will face serious consequences, including possible termination and criminal charges,” said Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie. “The presence of prohibited items directly impacts safety for all staff and people in custody.”

Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, the 38th commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction.Johnson made $144,328 in fiscal 2023, including $48,262 for working 694 hours of overtime, city payroll records show.

In fiscal 2022, he made $158,216, including $55,799 for 802 hours of overtime, the payroll records show.

The suspension comes as the Correction Department has expanded the use of body scanners in the jails to check staff for possible contraband.

The program began in February 2023 — following much resistance spanning several administrations —  when then-Correction Commissioner Louis Molina had a body-scanning machine for staff installed in the Robert N. Davoren Center.

Since then, the department has added scanners in the Otis Bantum Correctional Center and the Eric M. Taylor Center.

Now, under Maginley-Liddie, the George R. Vierno Center is next, with the three remaining jails at Rikers — the infirmary command, the Rose M. Singer Center and the West Facility —  to follow.

Contraband is a persistent problem at Rikers.

In October, the federal monitor tracking violence and staff use of force in New York City’s jails said they were  “pervasive, leading to slashings and open drug use” even in the high-security Enhanced Supervision Housing unit at the Singer Center.

Weapons are “easily available” and drug use is “rampant,” the Oct. 5 report said.

From January to November 2023, 4,020 contraband items were confiscated in more than 100,000 searches compared with 8,598 items in 2022, the monitor reported Dec 22.

While contraband smuggling is often blamed on detainees, visitors and the mail, a number of officers have been caught bringing in drugs, phones, weapons and other items in recent years.

In November, former Correction Officer Krystle Burrell was sentenced to two years and five months in federal prison for taking $10,000 in bribes to smuggle in drugs and cell phones for detainee Terrae Hinds, with whom she was romantically involved.

In April, former Correction Officer Katrina Patterson was sentenced to a year in prison for taking $34,000 in bribes to smuggle drugs and cell phones into the Davoren Center.

In November 2022, Correction Department investigator Andrew Walker testified at a Brooklyn Federal Court trial that officers and staff are “usually” the source of contraband.

“They [detainees] usually use officers and civilian staff,” Walker said during the trial of James Albert, accused of bribing correction officers to smuggle contraband.

Albert was found guilty of bribing staff, including former Correction Officer Patrick Legerme. Legerme pleaded guilty to conspiring to accept bribes.

But the Correction Department reported no staff suspensions for contraband in 2022 and three in the first half of 2023, compared with 11 between January 2020 and June 2021, the Dec. 22 monitor report said.

]]>
7564219 2024-03-06T17:31:09+00:00 2024-03-06T20:48:37+00:00
Scammer tried to con George Santos, asked $900K to make case vanish: Brooklyn feds https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/06/scammer-tried-to-con-george-santos-asked-900k-to-make-case-vanish-brooklyn-feds/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 19:44:33 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7564514 A scammer from Texas faces federal charges after he offered to make George Santos’ legal troubles go away for $900,000, prosecutors alleged Wednesday.

El Paso ex-con Hector Medina sent the lying former congressman text messages and a video last year purporting to be a man with a particular set of skills that could make Santos’ criminal charges vanish, Brooklyn federal prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint.

He also made a $1 million offer to an unnamed California actor convicted of multiple felonies in May. A source with knowledge of the situation identified the actor as Danny Masterson, who was convicted of raping two women.

Medina is also accused of similar offers to a musician arrested in June and an athlete’s relative who was busted in May.

Calling himself “Mike Soto,” Medina is accused of sending an unsolicited video message to Santos in July, while the Republican elected from a district including parts of Nassau County and Queens was still in Congress.

“You don’t know me but, I wanted you to see a face and trust me on what I’m about to tell you. I work with prosecutors and, uh, judges throughout the United States and I want to give you the opportunity to offer my services. I was contacted by some people to reach out to you and see if you wanted to cut a deal,” he said, according to the feds.

“Uh, this only stands for today. If you’re interested, I can get everything dropped, evidence that is on you removed, disappeared. Reach out to me if you’re interested. It’s simple yes or no. Thank you.”

He then sent Santos several text messages, asking him if he had the wrong number, then offering, “I can get all the charges dropped” and “All I need is for you or someone to wire 900k,” according to the feds

In a string of texts, he said, “Once this is done I’ll take care of the rest. I’m the real deal don’t let doubt come in the way of you getting this dismissed,” the feds allege.

In August, Medina persisted, according to the feds, sending more texts like, “I know you see my messages,” and recording another video, boasting, “I’m on your team. If you don’t want the help, at least connect me with people that do. Um, you know, I’m really good at what I do. I am a genius. I am a wizard when it comes to things like this.”

Santos, who lied about nearly every aspect of his life during his successful run for office in 2022, was ousted from the job in December. He faces multiple fraud and identity theft charges, including allegations he stole people’s identities and made unauthorized charges on campaign donors’ credit cards to buy designer clothes and pay personal debts.

The complaint doesn’t identify Santos by name, but rather as Individual-1. It explicitly describes him as New York’s 3rd Congressional District representative from Jan. 7 to Dec. 1.

In June, Medina sent messages to the California actor identified as Masterson and to Masterson’s then-spouse, said the feds.

The message allegedly said: “My name is Mike and I’m working with the people affiliated with your case. I can get the case thrown out or a reduced sentence very low but my people are asking for a $1 million dollar fee.”

When law enforcement came calling on Dec. 14, Medina admitted the scam, saying he searched the internet looking for people in trouble, and that he needed the cash to pay off more than $100,000 in gambling debts, according to the complaint.

Medina — who has a history of fraud and theft convictions in Texas, according to the feds — is charged with wire fraud and was expected to appear in federal court in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday.

“I’m currently in my initial phases of my representation of Mr. Medina in this matter. Mr. Medina eagerly anticipates confronting the allegations against him through the formal legal process,” his lawyer Joseph Veith said Wednesday.

Medina’s case will be transferred to Brooklyn Federal Court at a later date.

 

 

]]>
7564514 2024-03-06T14:44:33+00:00 2024-03-06T22:16:44+00:00
Headless torso found inside Bronx apartment where wig-wearing man is caught on surveillance https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/06/headless-torso-found-inside-bronx-apartment-hours-after-neighbors-hear-shots-fired/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 18:20:52 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7564495 A headless human torso was found inside a Bronx apartment hours after neighbors heard shots fired, police and sources said Wednesday.

Cops discovered the remains inside a sixth-floor apartment on Summit Ave. near W. 162nd St. in Highbridge about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. The person’s legs and feet were attached but its arms and head were missing, a police source said.

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, neighbors heard gunshots but did not call police, investigators have learned. But neighbors later told their super what they heard, and he called 911.

A still from surveillance footage taken inside the Highbridge building shows a man standing outside the scene of the crime. (Obtained by Daily News)
A still from surveillance footage taken inside the Highbridge building. (Obtained by Daily News)

“I have no idea why she didn’t call police when she heard gunshots,” said the superintendent, Orlando Medina. “I called in the wellness check the next morning about 11:30.”

Cops responded and were directed to the sixth-floor apartment, where they said a 30-year-old man let them in.

A still from surveillance footage taken inside the Highbridge building shows a man standing outside the scene of the crime. (Obtained by Daily News)
A still from surveillance footage taken inside the Highbridge building. (Obtained by Daily News)

Once inside, officers found the torso in a blue bin. The night before, a man was seen on surveillance standing next to a container in a hallway outside the victim’s door.

“I went and I checked the video,” said building super Medina, 49. “I saw him on the video acting weird. He was coming in and out with all kinds of stuff. It wasn’t normal.”

A man is seen in several different outfits, including one with a long blond wig, as he moved through the hall, stills from the footage show. Police could not confirm what happened in the video, saying they didn’t have it.

“I was going to call the police regardless of the gunshots [because of what I saw on the video],” said Medina. “It’s nuts. You see someone alive one day and the next day he’s cut up into pieces.”

A still from surveillance footage taken inside the Highbridge building shows a man standing outside the scene of the crime. (Obtained by Daily News)
A still from surveillance footage taken inside the Highbridge building. (Obtained by Daily News)

The man in the apartment was taken into custody for questioning. He asked for a lawyer and has clammed up, police sources said. No charges have been filed.

Cops have identified the victim as a 44-year-old man, who Medina says lived in the apartment. His name was not immediately released.

The man taken into custody did not live with the victim, according to Medina.

A headless human torso was found inside a sixth-floor apartment in a building on Summit Ave. near W. 162nd St. in the Bronx on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. The torso's legs and feet were attached but its arms and head are missing, a police source said. (Nicholas Williams for New York Daily News)
A headless human torso was found inside a sixth-floor apartment in a building on Summit Ave. near W. 162nd St. in the Bronx on Tuesday. (Nicholas Williams for New York Daily News)

A person who lives in the building but did not want to be named claimed the victim was a high-end drug dealer.

“He had a lot of money and it was drugs,” the resident said. “I don’t know what kind of drugs, but it was big.”

An autopsy will be performed to determine how the victim died.

]]>
7564495 2024-03-06T13:20:52+00:00 2024-03-06T21:15:07+00:00
4 charged in Long Island body parts case, love triangle may have factored https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/06/4-charged-long-island-park-body-parts-babylon/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 18:00:38 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7564330 Four suspects have been charged in connection with two sets of body parts strewn about Long Island parks within the past week.

Homicide detectives charged Steven Brown, 44, Jeffrey Mackey, 38, Amanda Wallace, 40, and Alexis Nieves, 33, with hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and concealing a human corpse. They have not been charged with killing the victims, but it’s unclear if additional charges will follow.

Suffolk County Police said the suspects were arrested after a search warrant was executed Monday night at the Amityville home that Brown, Mackey and Wallace share. Nieves is said to be homeless, but had been staying at the house on Railroad Ave. for a period of time, according to News12 Long Island.

All four suspects were arraigned Wednesday in Suffolk County District Court. They pleaded not guilty and were released without bail, though they’re required to wear GPS monitoring, report to probation in person and surrender their passports.

“Unfortunately, due to ‘bail reform’ passed by the New York State Legislature in 2019, charges related to the mutilation and disposal of murdered corpses are no longer bail eligible,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement.

At Wednesday’s arraignments, Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroeder said authorities have significant evident to support their case, including meat cleavers, butcher knives, blood and surveillance video, but did not specify where the weapons and blood were found.

The names of the victims — a 53-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman — have not been released. Investigators said that, at one point, the pair lived together in Yonkers. Police suspect they may have been involved in a love triangle, according to NBC News.

Southards Pond Park in Babylon. (WoodysPhotos / Shutterstock)
The body parts were discovered in Southards Pond Park in Babylon. (WoodysPhotos / Shutterstock)

Cops began their investigation last Thursday when a girl walking to school spotted a man’s tattooed arm outside Southards Pond Park in Babylon. A subsequent search of the park turned up his other arm, as well as the head, arm and leg of a female victim.

Body parts believed to belong to the same victims were also found Tuesday roughly 4 miles away in a wooded area in West Babylon. Additional remains were found that same day in Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, about 10 miles from the first crime scene.

District Attorney Tierney confirmed the investigation is ongoing and vowed to work with police to “resolve this investigation as soon as possible.”

Police believe the situation is an isolated incident posing no additional threat to the public.

]]>
7564330 2024-03-06T13:00:38+00:00 2024-03-06T20:09:59+00:00
Woman who bashed cello player arrested again: police https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/06/woman-who-bashed-cello-player-arrested-again-police/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:39:41 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7564053 The woman released without bail after being charged with bashing a Manhattan subway station cello player in the head with a metal bottle has been arrested again, cops said Wednesday.

Amira Hunter, 23, was newly arrested in Midtown on Tuesday after she allegedly swiped a $235 Moncler baseball cap from Nordstrom department store on W. 57th St.

The new bust came just five days after she was nabbed for attacking Iain Forrest, a 29-year-old medical student who was playing his electric cello as part of the MTA’s Music Under New York program, in the Herald Square station the evening of Feb. 13.

The unprovoked assault, which left Forrest convinced that the subway system is too dangerous for him to continue his playing, was caught on video taken by straphangers watching him perform “Titanium” by Sia.

Iain Forrest (@eyeglasses.stringmusic / Instagram)
Subway musician Iain Forrest (@eyeglasses.stringmusic / Instagram)

At her arraignment last Thursday, Hunter was put on supervised release and directed to go to a homeless shelter. During the arraignment, she screamed that she and Forrest “were not strangers.” But when asked outside court why she attacked the medical student, she simply said, “I don’t know why.”

Hunter was next arrested about 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday when she was allegedly caught swiping the pricey hat from Nordstrom and stuffing it into her handbag. Workers stopped her as she tried to exit the store.

She was charged with petty larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. Her arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court was pending Wednesday.

Amira Hunter leaves Manhattan criminal court after being released on supervised for the assault on subway musician Iain Forrest Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)
Amira Hunter leaves Manhattan Criminal Court on supervised release for the assault on subway musician Iain Forrest. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)

Hunter lives in East New York, Brooklyn, and had seven prior arrests before she was nabbed for striking Forrest last month, according to cops. Four of the arrests involve domestic violence, two are for petty larceny and the most recent one, last October, is for grand larceny and involves shoplifting, police said.

NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper mentioned Hunter’s new arrest Wednesday as he complained about recidivist criminals being put back out on the street.

“It took detectives a week and a half [to arrest Hunter], but they made the arrest,” Kemper said on NY1 with Mayor Adams by his side. “She had multiple prior arrests, but she also had two active bench warrants for failure to report to court on open court cases and the judge released her.”

“Well, guess what, she was arrested again yesterday in Manhattan,” Kemper added.

Amira Hunter, 23, was newly arrested in Midtown Tuesday after she allegedly swiped a $235 Moncler baseball cap from this Nordstrom on W. 57th St. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)
Amira Hunter, 23, was newly arrested in Midtown Tuesday after she allegedly swiped a 5 Moncler baseball cap from this Nordstrom on W. 57th St. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)

Forrest said last month’s attack, which came in the wake of an unrelated assault on him in Times Square last May, convinced him the subway system, as “exciting” as it is, is too dangerous a place for him to perform.

“It does kind of break my heart that this is something that has to stop indefinitely, barring some sort of systemic change with protection for performances in the subway,” he said.

]]>
7564053 2024-03-06T11:39:41+00:00 2024-03-06T17:23:12+00:00
Man fatally struck by hit-and-run SUV driver in Tribeca https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/06/man-fatally-struck-by-hit-and-run-suv-driver-in-tribeca/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 14:09:27 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7563995 A man was hit and killed by an SUV driver in Tribeca early Wednesday, police said.

The victim was crossing Canal St. at Lafayette St. just before 5 a.m. when the driver of a dark-colored SUV plowed into him and kept going, cops said.

Medics found the victim sprawled out on the asphalt suffering from extensive injuries to his head and body. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital but couldn’t be saved.

The victim, believed to be in his 30s, wasn’t carrying ID and police are working to determine his identity.

Cops were scouring the area for the SUV Wednesday. No arrests have been made.

NYPD investigate the scene where a female electric scooter rider collided with a vehicle while crossing on the crosswalk on the corner of Blossom Ave and College Point Blvd., Queens, New York on Wednesday, Mar. 6, 2024. (Shawn Inglima for New York Daily News)
NYPD investigate the scene where a 63-year-old woman riding an electric scooter was fatally struck by a Honda CR-V driver at Blossom Ave. and College Point Blvd. in Queens Wednesday. (Shawn Inglima for New York Daily News)

Several hours later in Queens, a 63-year-old woman riding an electric scooter was fatally struck by a Honda CR-V driver, cops said.

The victim was zipping west along College Point Blvd. near Blossom Ave. in Flushing around 10 a.m. when she was struck.

The SUV driver was also headed west on College Point Blvd. but hit the scooter rider while turning off the heavily traveled thoroughfare, cops said.

NYPD investigating the scene where a female electric scooter rider collided with a vehicle while crossing on the crosswalk on the corner of Blossom Ave and College Point Blvd., Queens, New York on Wednesday, Mar. 6, 2024. (Shawn Inglima for New York Daily News)
A Highway Patrol officer is pictured at the scene where a 63-year-old woman riding an electric scooter was fatally struck by a Honda CR-V driver at Blossom Ave. and College Point Blvd. in Queens Wednesday. (Shawn Inglima for New York Daily News)

The scooter rider was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Queens, where she died. Her name was not immediately released.

The 41-year-old woman driving the Honda remained at the scene. No charges were immediately filed.

With Sheetal Banchariya

]]>
7563995 2024-03-06T09:09:27+00:00 2024-03-06T17:07:56+00:00
Is this your pet? Pics of more stolen animals found in Queens houses of horrors released https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/06/is-this-your-pet-pics-of-more-stolen-animals-found-in-queens-houses-of-horrors-released/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 14:03:17 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7563983 Several of the starving dogs and cats found by police raiding a squalid Queens home earlier this week are believed to be stolen — and cops are hoping to reunite the pinched pets with their owners.

The NYPD has released additional pictures showing more of the 13 animals found abused and malnourished when cops executed a search warrant at the Beach 44th St. home near Norton Drive in the Rockaways at around 6 a.m. Monday.

One of the dogs, a German shepherd, was stolen from an East New York, Brooklyn, tire shop during a Jan. 25 burglary.

Cops have released images of the animals, which were found "abused and malnourished" after cops executed a search warrant at the Beach 44th St. home in the Rockaways about 6 a.m. Monday, March 4, 2024. (NYPD)
Cops have released images of the animals, which were found “abused and malnourished” after cops executed a search warrant at the Beach 44th St. home in the Rockaways about 6 a.m. Monday. (NYPD)

A man who works near the lot, which was closed Wednesday, recalled the owner’s “beautiful” dog and the burglary.

“It was night time — 3, 4 o’clock in the morning,” said the man, who asked to be identified only as Aarow. “The dog was inside the gates.”

The man said that the burglars took about $1,500 in cash from an ATM in a shed on the car lot along with the German shepherd.

Days later, the owner of the car lot had a heart attack.

“He was in the hospital a couple days, [but] he’s OK now,” Aarow said of the man. “Maybe it was the stress.”

The owner’s dog was returned after the horrifying bust, but when the dog’s owner was reunited with his emaciated pooch, he was furious.

“That’s sick to take somebody’s dog and then to treat him the way [they treated] him,” said the man. “Not even to take him home. You know what I mean? If you took him home because you like, him different story. That’s exactly why we’re puzzled.”

Members of the NYPD’s grand larceny squad searching the home for stolen goods and drugs found the 11 starving, emaciated dogs and two malnourished cats. They also uncovered quantities of heroin and fentanyl along with stolen tools and DJ equipment.

The animals were found in “deplorable conditions” and given to the ASPCA for treatment.

When detectives entered the home, they didn’t realize they would be standing in a kennel.

The dogs, a few of them pit bulls, were found in cages, their ribs showing through their skin, cops said.

Cops have released images of the animals, which were found "abused and malnourished" after cops executed a search warrant at the Beach 44th St. home in the Rockaways about 6 a.m. Monday, March 4, 2024. (NYPD)
Cops have released images of the animals found “abused and malnourished” after cops executed a search warrant at the Beach 44th St. home in the Rockaways about 6 a.m. Monday. (NYPD)

“Many of the animals were underweight, dehydrated and had dirty hair coats,” an ASPCA spokesman said. “Veterinary and behavior experts are conducting forensic exams and providing them with much-needed medical care and behavioral treatment and enrichment.”

The NYPD’s animal cruelty squad is investigating.

Cops have released images of the animals, which were found "abused and malnourished" after cops executed a search warrant at the Beach 44th St. home in the Rockaways about 6 a.m. Monday, March 4, 2024. (NYPD)
Cops have released images of the animals, which were found “abused and malnourished” after cops executed a search warrant at the Beach 44th St. home in the Rockaways about 6 a.m. Monday. (NYPD)

Homeowner Cory Elder, 43, was arrested on a slew of charges including drug possession, possession of stolen property and animal neglect and torture. His arraignment was expected to take place in Queens Criminal Court Wednesday, but Elder was hospitalized after complaining of pains. He also refused to be fingerprinted, police sources said.

Cops believe Elder was working with two other men who remain at large.

Anyone with information regarding the animals is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

]]>
7563983 2024-03-06T09:03:17+00:00 2024-03-06T18:11:55+00:00
Crook impersonates priest, steals $900 from rectory bedroom at Queens church https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/05/crook-impersonates-priest-steals-900-from-rectory-bedroom-at-queens-church/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 03:46:36 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7563770 A burglar posing as a visiting priest fleeced a real holy man of nearly $1,000 at a Queens church, police said Tuesday.

The thief targeted the 63-year-old priest at the American Martyrs Roman Catholic Church on Bell Blvd. near Union Turnpike in Hollis Hills around 12:20 p.m. Sunday, according to cops.

The crook told the victim he was also a man of the cloth visiting the church from another country.

The priest believed him and invited him into the rectory, where the conman stole $900 in cash from his bedroom.

The phony priest later took off in a dark-colored sedan southbound on Bell Blvd., police said.

Police on Tuesday released images of the thief in the hopes someone may recognize him. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.

]]>
7563770 2024-03-05T22:46:36+00:00 2024-03-05T22:46:36+00:00